A CLOSE DECISION

Hokitika Guardian, 21 December 1929, Page 5

A CLOSE DECISION

ON COAL BILL. SECOND BEADING CARRIED. [United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.] LONDON, December 18. The Government’s Coal Bill has passed the second reading, the voting being: Fo# 281, against 2,3—majority 8. LONDON, December 19. The House of Commons resumed the debate on the Coal Bill, when Mr Lloyd George made his eagerly await ed speech. He declared that the Bill contained the worst features .of both Socialism and individualism, without the redeeming features of either. Two provisions of the Bill of which he approved were those relating to the reduction of the hours of the miners and the establishment of a National Wages Board. The Bill was a coal owners’ measure, pure and simple with the object of raising the prices and of limiting the output. The estimated that the Bill would increase the cost of coal by 3s 6d per ton, which wquld disastrously affect all of the exporting industries. Even an advance of 2s 6d per ton would add £600,009 yearly to .the costs of the cotton trade which already was in a bad way. It was a case of trying to vitalise the coal mining industry by a transfusion of blood from other industries which wore,.- already themselves ajuaemic; /while for the people it was equivalent to a hearth tax. Germany’s experience showed that the grouping of- mines could be effected without increasing the coal prices or reducing the miners’ wages.

Mr Winston Churchill said that the measure had most aptly been - described as “The Dear Coal Bill.” It was a deliberate attempt to levy a' new, indirect tax on the public for the, benefit of sectional interests. It would have been fairer and more honest if Mr Philip Snowden had imposed • this in the Budget. The money could then have been distributed in accordance with the conditions which the Government imposed, instead of them handing over the power to extract between 30 and 40 million pounds a year from the people to mine owners. It was a bill ifor compulsory profiteering.

Mr MacDonald rose, amid cheers, to conclude the debate. The Prime Minister observed that Mr Churchill had not lost his romantic imagination, but lie personally (Mr MacDonald) was convinced that the situation which the Opposition had tried to create was more a'political one that one related to the merits of the coal mining problem. The Prime Minister recalled that there had been failure after failure to extricate the coal industry from its difficulties, The House of Commons had to femember that, before trade could be reorganised, there must be some new resources at its command, the position that so long as a miner got 48s 6d per week they, had no business to increase the price of coal to the consumer by one penny. That was absurd. Until the House faced this question of the price of coal, there could he no solution of the problem It was essential that a properly safeguarded. body should be allowed to strike the real economic price of coal. If 'the scheme for rationalisation were pushed ahead without delay, and the problem of distribution to the individual consumer could be soluble. The effect of the Bill would be to hasten that day. Any amendments which in Committee were designed to strengthen .the Bill would be considered by the Government. ■! Great excitement prevailed as the division was being taken, because Mr Lloyd George’s attack had shown that any accommodation between the Government and the Liberals was impossible, and that the majority therefore must be narrow. The Government’s vote included 275 Labourites, also two Liberals Mr Manderand Sir. William Edge; also four Independent, Neil Mac Lean, Mr Joseph. Devlin, Mr Harbison, and Mr Scrymgeoun. The- Labourites’ party strength is 289. The remaining fourteen Labourites* were see unted for as follows :— < Absent, but paired in favour of tiie Bill, ten; tellers, two; occupying official positions disentitling them to vote two. The minority of 273 consisted of about 230 Conservaties, more than forty Liberals, one Independent (Mr Graham Little.) This i,s the highest number of votes thnt the Conservatives have given to the present Parliament. The previous best was 222. Only fourteen Conservatives were absent or unaccounted for. Ten absentees paired against the Bill. Five Liberals abstained from voting Vi'S, Mr Runeiman, Sir Donald MacLean, Mr Leif Jones, Mr Percy Harris, and Mr Duncan Millar. The announcement of the result was greeted with loud Conservative shouts otf “Resign!’ LONDON. December 20. Tire “Dali.' Telegraph’s” political contributor says: Although the Government scraped through in the Coni Bill division, it was the opinion in the lobby that their proposals bad suffered a moral defeat. , The beggarly majority of eight in support of the principal measure of the session demonstrated clearly that Parliament distrusts the Government’s handling ol the coal problem. COAL BILL READ A SECOND TIME LONDON, Dec. 19. The Coal Bill was read a second time by 281 to 273.